1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing system for holding and providing information as processing objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of computer technology and the degree of spread of computer technology in society have increased more and more recently. It is not too much to say that there is now no device free from being controlled by a computer. Under such circumstances, each user of a computer, that is, an end user, a program developer, an information provider, or the like, generally uses information such as filenames for specifying pieces of data as processing objects in the computer.
In the inside of the computer, a filename is converted into a corresponding pointer (e.g., index node, i.e., i-node), so that a piece of data corresponding to the filename is read from a position designated by the pointer on a disk. Such a general method in the related art has been described in detail, for example, in “Design of UNIX Kernel” written by Maurice J. Bach, translated into Japanese by Aya Sakamoto, Yoshikatu Tada and Jun Murai, published by KYORITSU SHUPPAN CO., LTD. as the first edition on Jun. 10, 1991.
In the related-art method of providing and acquiring pieces of data as processing objects, convenience to the user is however poor because the user must think out filenames. On the other hand, there is a device for generating a filename on the basis of a leading portion of each piece of data. When, for example, the user needs to generate a large number of reports, there is the possibility that a lot of filenames will begin with “report” or the like. Accordingly, convenience is still poor.